Cooking With Wine

Poaching salmon is an excellent way of not only cooking salmon but any fish really. It is very easy to overcook fish when pan frying or baking, as fish dries out very easily. While it is possible to overcook fish in a poaching liquid, it is much more difficult to achieve and for this reason, poaching fish is a relatively fail safe, quick and delicious way of preparation. 

Recipe:

1-1 1/2 lbs salmon fillets

1/2 cup dry white wine such as a Sauvignon Blanc

1/2 cup water

A few slices of yellow onion or 1 shallot peeled and thinly sliced

Several sprigs fresh dill

A sprig of fresh parsley

Freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

1. Combine wine, water, dill, parsley, and onions (or shallots) in a large saucepan and bring to a simmer on medium heat. 

2. Place salmon fillets skin side down in the pan. Cover and cook about 5 minutes or until desired doneness making sure not to over cook the fish. 

3. Remove from the pan, sprinkle with freshly ground pepper and serve with lemon wedges and an extra sprinkle of finely chopped fresh dill and parsley.

Serves 2-4.

(Recipe from Simply Recipes)

Steely, grassy, and defiantly dry, nothing can complement a mean better than Sauvignon Blanc, a unique wine that offers a definitive counterpoint to the ubiquitous Chardonnay.

Recipe:

2 (8 oz.) frozen rock lobster tails (cooked)
1 lb. slightly steamed jumbo shrimp
1 can Alaskan King Crab meat, drained
5 tbsp. butter
1/2 cup flour
1/2 tsp. paprika
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. white pepper
1 1/2 cups light cream
2/3 cup Selection Original Sauvignon Blanc

Defrost shrimp, lobster and crab, drain. Melt butter in Dutch oven. Stir in flour, salt, paprika and pepper until smooth. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Reduce heat and simmer 5 minutes.

Add Selection Original Sauvignon Blanc, lobster, shrimp and crab meat. Stir gently until combined. Cook over low heat until heated through. Serve over white rice. Can be frozen or prepared a day or two in advance of your dinner.

Serves 6.

Pork chop fans will love this simple yet elegant skillet recipe. This meal is made all the more impressive when paired with Winexpert Reserve Chilean Pinot Noir or Winexpert Private Reserve Marlborough New Zealand Pinot Noir.

Popsicles aren’t just for kids. Cool down and enjoy this adult twist on a favorite Summer treat in as easy as 1, 2, 3.

Recipe:

1/2 cup raspberries

1 cup sparkling wine

Directions:

1. Pulse raspberries in a blender until they are pureed.

2. Gently stir in the sparkling wine.

3. Pour the mixture into popsicle molds and freeze for about 8 hours but ideally overnight.

*NOTE: Once the popsicles are frozen and you are ready to serve, run the outside of the popsicle mold under warm water to loosen the popsicle and gently remove from the mold.

Makes 6-8 popsicles

Recipe:

• 4 beef steaks, such as porterhouse, sirloin, rib eye, shel or filet mignon (1/2 pound
  each and ¾ to 1 inch thick), or one 2-pound steak
• 5 tablespoons unsalted butter
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
• ¼ cup French Gamay Nouveau 

Directions:

Melt 3 tablespoons of the butter in a large heavy skilet or sauté pan over high heat until hot but not smoking. Add the steaks and sear for 1 minute on each side. Reduce the heat to medium. Season the steaks generously with salt and pepper and continue cooking, turning the steaks every other minute, until you see little pearls of blood come to the surface, about 6 to 8 minutes. For juicy, tender meat the steaks should be cooked medium rare.

Remove the steaks and place them on warmed plates. Over medium heat, deglaze the pan with the water and swirl in the remaining 2 tablespoons butter. Drizzle these pan juices over the meat and serve at once with fries.

(Serves four)

Best French Fries Ever

There is no fancy skill involved in making these crispy fries, but there is a trick. The potatoes are fried twice. The first time cooks them through and makes them tender. The second time, which can be done hours later just before serving, turns them golden brown and deliciously crisp.

You won’t need a lot of special equipment, but a few items are essential. If you own an
electric deep fryer, you’re al set. If not, a 4-quart fryer with a basket insert and a separate deep-fat thermometer is your next choice. In a pinch, use a heavy pot that is at least 5 inches deep, a long-handled fried-food skimmer or very large long-handled slotted spoon, and a deep-fat thermometer.

The size of the fries is a very personal matter. Some people like them very thin and crunchy. Others prefer them quite large so that they can be crispy on the outside and soft in the center. Experiment to find the size you like best. Very thinly cut potato sticks need a shorter frying time, and the thicker ones take a little longer.

Note: When frying anything in deep fat, always keep a lid close by. In case of fire, turn off the heat and cover the pan.

Recipe:

• 1 litre (4 cups) vegetable oil for frying
• 1 kilogram (2 pounds) Idaho or russet baking potatoes or Yukon Gold potatoes,
  peeled, rinsed and dried
• Salt to taste

Directions:

Pour enough oil into a deep fryer to reach at least halfway up the sides of the pan but not more than three-quarters of the way up. Heat the oil to 325°F. Cut the potatoes into sticks 1/2 inch wide and 2 1/2 to 3 inches long. Dry al the pieces thoroughly in a clean dish towel. This wil keep your oil from splattering. Divide the potato sticks into batches of no more than 1 cup each. Do not fry more than one batch at a time.

When the oil has reached the desired temperature, fry the potatoes for 4 to 5 minutes per batch. They should be lightly colored but not browned. If your fryer has a basket, simply lift it out the remove the fried potatoes. Otherwise, use a long-handled skimmer to lift out the potatoes. Be sure to bring the temperature of the oil back to 325°F in between batches. At this point the fries can rest for several hours at room temperature until you are almost ready to serve them.

When you are almost ready to serve, heat the oil again to 325°F. Fry the potatoes for the second time in 1-cup batches until they are nicely browned and crisp, 1 to 2 minutes. Drain on fresh paper towels or brown paper bags and place in a warmed serving bowl lined with more paper towels. Sprinkle with salt and serve.

Thanksgiving…Christmas…When the holidays are upon us, chances are that means you’re cooking a turkey. Take the stress off by using this process of a cheesecloth basted with white wine and butter to ensure a juicy succulent bird every time.

Recipe:

1 15 pound turkey, giblets and neck removed from cavity

1 cup unsalted butter, melted

3 cups dry white wine

1 large piece of cheesecloth, folded into a square

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature, mixed with favorite fresh herbs (rosemary, thyme, parsley)

Salt and black pepper

4 cups chicken stock for roasting pan or more as needed

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Combine melted butter and white wine in a bowl. Immerse cheesecloth in the butter and wine mixture; let soak.

2. pat the turkey dry with paper towel inside and out. Place turkey, breast side up, on a rack in a heavy metal roasting pan. Season the cavity and the entire outside of the turkey with salt and pepper. place the butter and herb mixture in the cavity. Tuck the wing tips under the turkey to hold the flap of skin in place. Tie legs together loosely with kitchen string.

3. Lift the cheesecloth out of the liquid and squeeze it slightly, leaving it very damp. Spread it evenly over the breast and sides of the turkey. Place the turkey in the oven and cook for 30 minutes. Using a pastry brush, baste the cheesecloth and rest of turkey with the butter and wine mixture. Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees and cook for 2 1/2 more hours, basting every 30 minutes.

4. After 2 1/2 hours, carefully remove and discard cheesecloth. Baste turkey with pan juices. If there are not enough juices, continue to use butter and wine. Cook 1 more hour, baste again after 30 minutes. Remove the turkey from the oven when the internal temperature in the thickest part of the leg is 165 degrees.

5. Transfer turkey to a serving platter, loosely cover with foil and let rest for about 30 minutes. Meanwhile, make the gravy.

To make gravy:

Pour all the pan juices into a glass measuring cup. Let stand until grease rises to the surface, about 10 minutes, then skim it off. Meanwhile, place roasting pan over medium-high heat. Add 1 cup white wine or chicken stock to the pan. Using a whisk, scrape all the browned crisp bits from the bottom of the pan and bring the mixture to a boil. Cook until liquid has reduced by half, about 10 minutes. Mix 2 tablespoons flour into the the defatted pan juices. Whisk this mixture into the gravy. Reduce the heat to a medium simmer and continue whisking another 10 minutes or until the gravy is thick. Season with salt and pepper to taste if needed. Carve the turkey and serve with the gravy.

Serves 12.

(Image From WhatsCookingAmerica.net)